Decorative dispensing cap assembly



Sept. 17, 1968 w. 5, AHRENS ET AL 3,401,843

4 DECORATIVE DISPENSING CAP ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 5l, 1967A 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 rra Fys,

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W. S. AHRENS ETA'- DECORATIVE DISPENSING CAP ASSEMBLY `sept. 17, 1968 Flled Oct 3l 1967 United States Patent O 3,401,843 DECORATIVE DISPENSING CAP ASSEMBLY Warren S. Ahrens, Milford, and Daniel A. Viera, Monroe, Conn., assignors to The Bridgeport Metal Goods Manufacturing Company, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Continuation-in-part of abandoned application Ser. No. 578,537, Sept. 12, 1966. This application Oct. 31, 1967, Ser. No. 691,080

16 Claims. (Cl. 222-182) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A decorative locking type dispensingy cap assembly having a rotatable and reciprocable pump head securable on a pumping plunger, to dispense a solution from a container and a stationary keying and locking member mounted on the container and operationally connected to the pump head to allow the pump head to be reciprocated when in one angular position relative to the container and to be securely locked in an inoperative second angular position.

Background of the invention This application is a continuation-in-part of our application Ser. No. 578,537 for Decorative Dispensing Cap Assembly, filed Sept. 12, 1966, now abandoned,

This invention relates to a decorative locking type dispensing cap assembly for solution containers and, more particularly, to such an assembly for use on a lotion container, which possesses many advantages over known devices, including its ability to be assembled to and allow the filled container to be transported without spillage of the contents.

Conventionally, lotion spray pump units are usually transported separately from the container with which they are to be subsequently associated, and the container is closed by a usual sealed threaded cap to insure that no spillage will occur during transportation. The two articles,

i.e. the container and the pumping unit, are purchased.

separated and are operationally united by the purchaser at the point of use in order to dispense the contents. It is also known in the art to assemble a pump unit to a filled solution container and to secure a pump unit protecting cap upon and threadedly engaged with a container, which maintains the usual pumping plunger in an inoperative, usually either its extreme upper or lower, position. Such a cap is usually removed and discarded at the point of use when it is desired to actuate the pump to dispense the solution.

These prior art techniques are objectionable because they require a plurality of separable parts including a separate closure and are not easily disposed in condition to preclude spillage subsequent to shipment. Also, the separate pump unit presents shipping problems and inventory problems. In the known arrangement wherein the pumping unit is maintained in an inoperative position by a closure means, this closure means musty be removed when the pumping unit is desired to be used. Therefore, it is readily apparent that the prior art pumping units may not be easily sealed against spillage at subsequent time, for example, when it is desired by the user to transport the container, since separate closure means are required which have already been removed and possibly discarded.

Summary f the invention Accordingly, it is the primary object of this invention to provide a decorative dispensing cap assembly which is semi-permanently assemblable to the filled container and,

ice

thereafter can be readily selectively disposed in an operative or an inoperative condition at any time, and may be securely locked in place in the inoperative condition.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved assembly as set forth in the preceding paragraph, wherein the locking means is invisible.

To accomplish these objects, in one form, we have provided a locking-type dispensing cap assembly for use with a solution filled container having a reciprocable springbiased pumping plunger. The cap assembly includes: a container closure having an axial opening -to receive the end of the pumping plunger; a cage secured to the closure and defining a keyway and a rotation limiting locking means therein; a pump actuator for reciprocating the pumping plunger and rotatably mounted thereon having a key formation and defining a solution dispensing passage therethrough; and retaining means for securing the pump actuator upon the cage including a locking portion extending into the rotation limiting locking means, whereby rotation of the pump actuator is limited by the rotation limiting locking means and the pump actuator may be reciprocated when positioned in a first angular position corresponding to the alignment of the key formation and the keyway in the direction of reciprocation and may be locked in an inoperative position in a second angular position.

Brief description of the drawings Other objects and further details of that which we believe to be novel and our invention will be clear from the following description and claims taken with the accompanying drawings wherein: v

FIG. l is a front elevational View of our improved decorative dispensing cap assembly operatively mounted for use upon a container;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of one form of the improved assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention with the decorative cap broken away and showing the locking clip in place;

FIG. 3 is a top plan View of the FIG. 2 form of our invention with the decorative cap partially broken away and showing the nozzle and the locking clip;

FIG. 4 is a sectional View taken substantially along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3 showing the locking means;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the FIG. 2 form of our invention with portions broken away and shown in section and showing the decorative cap in its locking position;

FIG. 6 is a sectional View taken substantially along line 6 6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an exploded prespective View of the FIG. 2 form of our invention;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational View of the cage portion of the collar;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of an alternative embodiment of our invention;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view partially in section of the FIG. 9 embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 11-11 of FIG. l0; and

FIG. 12 is a side elevational View of the window cutout in the cage portion of the FIG. 9 embodiment,

Description of the preferred embodiments With particular reference to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIG. l a container C within which is located a usual pumping unit 10 having a closure cap threadedly engaged with the neck of the container, and upon which are disposed the operative elements of the decorative dispensing cap assembly of our present invention, which are hidden from View by a decorative cap 14 which receives a dispensing nozzle 16. The operative elements are securely mounted upon the usual pumping unit so that the contents of the container C may be manually pumped from the bottle in the usual manner when the decorative cap is in one angular position, while pumping is prevented in all other positions, one of said other positions being a locking position.

One embodiment of our invention is shown in FIGS. 2-8 and includes a novel three-piece subassembly which is mounted upon the usual pumping unit 10. The pumping unit 10 is made largely of plastic parts and is commercially available as a unit comprising a spindle 18 in the form of an elongated tube, an enlarged spring retaining portion 20, a coil spring 22, and a tubular reciprocable plunger 24. The pump unit is secured to the container C in a usual manner by means of a usual screw cap 26 through which the plunger 24 extends, the cap being threadedly engaged with the threaded neck of the container C. To operate the pump unit, a pump head 28 preferably made of a plastic material is provided which is in the 'form of a cap having a depending skirt 29, an axial tubular portion 30 arranged to be rotatably mounted on the reciprocable plunger 24, and a normal semi-cylindrical formaiton 32 through which a passage 34 is bored to receive the nozzle 16. The passage 34 communicates with the axial passage of the central tubular portion 30and with the exterior of the pump head. It should be readily apparent that to discharge the contents from the container C using the pumping unit 10, it is only necessary to manually depress the pumping head 28 several times for the contents to be discharged through the spindle 18, plunger 24, tubular portion 30, and out the nozzle 16.

The first element of the improved three-piece subassembly is a collar 12 (see FIG. 7), made of metal and comprising a cylindrical portion 36 arranged to be pressed onto the screw cap 26, and a cage 42. At one axial end of the collar there is a lip 38, and intermediate its ends is an inwardly directed circ-umferential ange 40. Cage 42 is cylindrical, of smaller diameter than the cylindrical portion 36, extends axially from the innermost edge of the flange 40 and has an inwardly directed lip 44 at its free end. The cage 42 is further provided with a U-shaped cut-out 46 which is arranged to receive the semi-cylindrical formation 32 of the reciprocable pump head 28 when the head is angularly disposed relative to the collar 12 in its pump actuating position. The cage 42 further includes a window cut-out 48 of substantially rectang-ular configuration when viewed in side elevation (FIG. 8) having a vertical end wall 49 which diametrically opposes the U-shaped cut-out 46, and a camming lug S0 having an inclined face 51.

The second element of the improved subassembly is a locking clip 52, which retains the pump head 28 on the cage 42. The clip 52 comprises a U-shaped, metallic member including a planar wall 54 having at one end a normally depending leg 56 which is slightly arcuate in transverse cross section, and having at its other end a pair of normally depending spaced legs 58 which are described upon a transverse arc. The inner surfaces of legs 56 and 58 are described on a common arc that is of the same radius as the outer surface of depending skirt 29 of the pump head 28, thereby allowing the locking clip to be securely seated on the pump head 28. The locking clip 52 further has positioning means including the tab 60 which extends inwardly and underlies the planar body 54, and terminates in a locking lug 62. When the locking clip 52 is mounted upon the pump head 28, as can be clearly seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, the depending legs 58 straddle the bore 34, and the tab 60 underlies the depending skirt 29, thereby securing the locking clip 52 on the pump head 28 against inadvertent disengagement. The lug 62 is caused to enter the window 48, thus locking the pump head 28 to the collar 12- It should be noted that the window is of a sutlicient height to allow freedom of vertical motion of the locking lug 62 when the pump head 28 is depressed.

`with a hole 70, disposed through the wall 64, large enough to receive a mounting portion of the nozzle 16. The decorative cap 14 is mounted on the pump head 28, securely maintained thereon by frictional engagement with the locking clip 52, and mounted in such a way that the hole 70 will be axially aligned with the bore 34 of the pump head 28 so that the nozzle 16 may pass through the hole and into the bore from the exterior, to further secure the decorative cap upon the pump head. The wall 64- tclescopes over the cylindrical collar portion 36 s0 as tO present a neat appearance by hiding the locking mechanism. During the pumping stroke, downward movement of the decorative cap 14 is limited by interference between the lip 66 on the cap and the lip 38 on the collar 12.

In FIGS. 9-12 there is disclosed an alternate embodiment of the locking-type dispensing cap assembly in which several of the metallic elements of the above described embodiment are made of plastic and are formed integrally with plastic elements described above. Thus, the number of elements of this embodiment is reduced as well as the cost of manufacture and assembly. Similar elements of our alternate embodiment will be identified by similar numerals with a prime added.

The modified form of our invention includes a closure member 72 preferably made of plastic and incorporating the first element described above, the lower half of which (as viewed in FIG. 10) comprises a screw cap portion 26' having a cylindrical wall portion 74 with threads 76 on its interior surface, a lip 38 at one axial end thereof and a planar end wall 78, having a plunger receiving central opening therethrough, at its axially opposed end. The upper half of the closure member 72 comprises a cylindrical cage 42 having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the wall 74 thereby defining a narrow flange The cage includes a U-shaped cut-out 46 and a window cut-out 48'. In this form of our invention, the window cut-out 48 includes a bi-level bottom wall 80, the upper level 81 underlying a camming lug and the lower level 82 adjacent a vertical wall 49' which is diametrally opposite the U-shaped cut-out 46 (note FIG. 12).

A locking clip 52 is the second element of the alternate embodiment of our locking-type dispensing cap assembly. The clip comprises a generally U-shaped metal member having a planar wall 54' defining an oval opening 83, a slightly arcuate leg 56 curved in transverse cross-section depending normally from the wall 54 at one end thereof and terminating in a locking lug 62 extending normal to the leg 56 and underlying the wall 54. A slightly arcuate leg 84 having the same curvature as the leg 56' `depends normally from the other end of the wall 54 and includes an aperture 86 formed therethrough near the planar wall 54. The inner surfaces of the legs 56 and 84 are described on a common arc that is of the same radius as the outer surface of the cylindrical cage 42'. The length of the legs is the same as the height of the cage.

The third element of our novel cap assembly is a decorative cap 14 made of a suitable plastic material which is integrally formed with an internal pump head formation 88. The cap 14 is cup shaped having a substantially cylindrical wall 64 defining an opening 70 therethrough and a planar end wall 68. The inner diameter of the wall 64 is substantially the same as the outer arcuate surface of the legs 56' and 84. Pump head formation 88 extends from the planar end wall 68 and includes a central axial tubular portion 30 having `a bore sufiiciently large to receive the reciprocable plunger 24 so that the cap 14 may be freely rotated thereon. The formation further includes a normal semi-cylindrical member 32' extending from the tubular portion 30 toward the wall 64', through which a passage 34 is bored in axial alignment with the opening 70" and intersects the bore of the tubular portion 30. The semi-cylindrical member 32 is spaced from the wall 64 a distance slightly more than the thickness of the arcuate leg 84.

In order to assemble this embodiment of the dispensing cap, the locking clip 52 is mounted upon the cage 42 with the locking lug 62 inserted into window cut-out 48' adjacent the vertical wall 49 and the aperture 86 in leg 84 aligned with the center of the U-shaped cut-out 46. The clip is loosely maintained in position by the arcuate legs 56 and 84 which encircle the cage and which rest upon the flange 40. Then the decorative cap 14' is firmly urged into position upon the locking'clip 52 and is securely maintained thereon by a tight friction fit. It should be noted that care must be taken when mounting the decorative cap 14 that the pump head formation 86 is aligned with the oval opening 83. When properly mounted the opening 70' will also be aligned with the :aperture 86 so that the nozzle 16' may pass through both openings and into the bore 34. The cylindrical wall 64 telescopes over the cage 42 and hides the operative pumping elements from view, presenting a neat, decorative appearing closure.

Having fully described both embodiments of our novel decorative dispensing cap assembly, the operation should be readily understood. The operation will be described with reference to the first described embodiment, the operation of the FIG. 9 embodiment being substantially the same.

The contents of the container C are discharged in the usual manner when the reciprocable pump head 28 is selectively manually :actuated by depressing decorative cap 14. However, the cap 14 may only be depressed when the semi-cylindrical formation 32 on the pump head is aligned With the U-shaped cut-out 46 in the direction of reciprocation. The pump head 28 with its associated locking clip 52 and decorative cap 14 are jointly angularly movable relative to the pumping unit plunger 24 and the collar 12. In all other relative angular positions of the pump head the lip 44 on cage 42 will interfere with the semi-cylindrical formation 32 and no closing longitudinal relative movement or pumping action can be effected, as it will be impossible to depress the pumping head. The window cut-out 48, into which the locking lug 62 extends, limits the amount of angular rotation of the pump head relative to the collar 12 from the pumping position to a predetermined locking position.

In the FIG. 9 embodiment we have formed the window cut-out 48 with a bi-level bottom wall portion 80 (note FIG. 12) so that reciprocation of the decorative cap 14 is prevented in all non-pumping angular positions by interference between the locking lug 62' of the clip 52 and the upper level 81 of the wall 80. In this form there is no possibility of damaging either the semi-cylindrical member 32 or the interfering rim of the cage 42' if the user should depress the cap 14 with too much force.

The pump head 28 and decorative cap 14 are biased upwardly by the force of the coil spring 22, and the locking lug 62 always bears against the top edge of the window cut-out 48. Locking of the cap 14 in an inoperative position is effected by selectively rotating the cap in a clockwise direction relative to FIGS. 3 and 6 past the camming lug y50. Since the camming lug 50 has an inclined face 51, the locking lug 62 is caused to be moved downwardly against the force of the upwardly biasing spring 22 until locking lug 62 is snapped into a locked position when it is rotated past the camming lug 50 against window edge portion 63. The cap 14 may not be inadvertently rotated out of this locked position, as a positive locking has been effected which cannot be jarred loose. In this position of the cap 14, it is safe to ship the container C filled with a solution without fearing spillage of the contents. In order to return the cap 14 to the pumping position, it is only necessary to manually depress the cap slightly against the force of the coil spring 22, while simultaneously rotating the cap 14 counterclockwise relative to FIGS. 3 and 6, until the locking lug 62 is stopped by the vertical end wall 49 of the window cut-out, indicating that the pump head 28 is in the proper position ot be depressed.

The entire improved decorative dispensing assembly including the pumping unit may be easily removed from the container C for refill purposes by merely threadedly disengaging the Screw cap 26 from the threaded neck of the container. The locking mechanism is made strong enough so that it will resist the torque required to threadedly engage the screw cap 26 with or disengage the screw cap from the threaded neck of the container C, and will not be destroyed when transmitting the torque from the decorative cap 14 to the screw cap 26. It will be appreciated that the locking mechanism is so designed that it cannot be seen when the unit is assembled, and all that is visible is an attractive cap and collar.

It should be understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in details of construction .and the combination Iand arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is: y

1. For use with a solution filled container having a reciprocable spring-biased dispensing plunger, a lockingtype dispensing cap assembly comprising: a container closure defining an opening for passage of the end of said plunger; a cage secured to said container closure defining a keyway and a rotation limiting and locking window therein; pump actuating means for reciprocating said plunger to dispense the solution being rotatably mounted upon said plunger yand positioned to telescope over said cage, said pump actuating means including a solution dispensing passage defined therethrough and a key formation disposed thereon; and means for retaining said pump actuating means upon said cage including a locking portion positioned to extend into said rotation limiting and locking window whereby rotation of said pump actuating means is limited by said rotation limiting and locking window Vand wherein said pump actuating means may be reciprocated in only one angular position corresponding to the alignment, in the direction of reciprocation, of said key formation and said keyway and may be locked in an inoperative position in a second angular position.

2. The locking-type dispensing cap assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said container closure yand said cage comprise a unitary plastic member.

3. The locking-type dispensing cap assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said rotation limiting and locking window includes an opening having a top wall, a lower wall and side walls, said top wall having camming means to secure said locking portion in one inoperative angular position and said side walls limiting rotation in both directions of said locking portion extending into said window.

4. The locking-type dispensing cap assembly defined in claim 3 wherein said lower wall is bi-level, the lower level corresponding to the operative position to allow said pump actuating portion to be reciprocated.

5. The locking-type dispensing cap defined in claim 1 wherein said pump actuating means comprises a unitary decorative cap and pump head formation, said cap includes a skirt positioned to telescope over said cage and said solution dispensing passage is defined through a central axial tubular portion positioned to receive the end of said plunger, and said key formation.

6. The locking-type dispensing cap defined in claim 5 wherein said retaining means includes a generally U-shaped metal clip positioned to overlie said cage and to be received by said decorative cap in frictonal engagement therewith, to secure said pump actuating means to said cage.

7. In combination, a dispensing unit for a solution lled container having a reciprocable spring-biased plunger, a container closure cap, and a cup-shaped dispensing head, rotatably mounted on said plunger, including an axial bore and a normal bore through which a solution may be discharged, said no-rmal bore being dened through a normal formation; a collar arranged to be securely mounted on said closure cap and having a cage means defining a cylindrical wall extending into said dispensing head and including interfering means whereby said dispensing head may be depressed in only one angular position, while in other angular positions said dispensnig head may not be depressed; a locking clip arranged to be mounted on said dispensing head and securing said dispensing head to said collar; a decorative cap having a hole defined therethrough and arranged to be mounted on said dispensing head and securely seated thereon in frictional engagement with said locking clip; and :a nozzle extending through said hole in said cap and anchored in said normal bore of said dispensing head so as to secure said decorative cap to said dispensing -head and communicate with said axial bore.

8. The combination defined in claim 7 wherein said cage means comprises: a cut-out in said cylindrical wall arranged to receive a portion of said normal formation when said dispensing head is in said one angular position.

9. The `combination defined in claim 8 wherein said cage means further comprises a window cut-out disposed through said wall, said window cut-out defining a vertical end wall; and said locking clip comprises a locking lug disposed in said window cut-out, whereby said locking lug locates said dispensing head in said one angular position when said dispensing head is rotated so as to bias said locking lug against said vertical end wall.

10. The combination defined in claim 9 wherein said cage means further comprises a camming means defined in the top wall of said window cut-out, which coacts with said locking lug to secure said dispensing head in one of said other positions.

11. The combination defined in claim 7 wherein said locking clip comprises securing means -arranged to maintain it in position upon said dispensing head and, further, comprises a locking means cooperating with said collar whereby said pump head may be angularly fixed in one of said other positions.

12. The combination defined in claim 11 wherein said locking clip securing means comprises: a planar body portion; a plurality of depending legs at one end of said body portion and substantially normal thereto; a substantially normal depending leg at the other end of said body portion; and a tab located upon said depending leg and underlying said body portion and said dispensing head.

13. The combination deiined in claim 12 wherein said plurality of depending legs at one end of said body portion and said depending leg at the other end of said body portion have surfaces of the same configuration as the exterior surface of the dispensing head, whereby all of said legs closely embrace said dispensing head.

14. The combination defined in claim 7 wherein said decorative cap comprises a substantially cylindrical wall portion benig open at one end and having a substantially planar wall at its other end; Iand wherein said hole is defined in said wall portion.

15. The combination defined in claim 14 wherein said decorative cap wall portion is arranged to telescope over the portion of said collar which is mounted on said container cap, whereby said decorative cap covers said cage means, said dispensing head and said locking clip.

16. The locking type dispensing cap assembly defined in claim 1 wherein said solution dispensing passage is defined through a central axial tubular portion positioned to receive the end of said plunger, and through said key formation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,684,412 9/ 1928 Reiner 220--40 2,568,057 9/1951 Cotter 222-385 X 3,249,260 5/ 1966 Goldberg 239-579 X 3,263,869 8/1966 Corsette 222-182 ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

N. L. STACK, Assistant Examiner. 

